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It's getting late, you know.
We're nearing the three-quarters mark of the season, which means we're on the eve of September roster expansion, which means we have only a couple more weeks when the DL is even in effect, at least practically speaking.
So the names that have appeared in these rankings all season, the ones that have required a lengthy rehabilitation for injuries that weren't quite season-enders, are beginning to inch their way toward the top.
And not a one is bigger than A.J. Pollock.
Yes, the borderline first-round pick who fractured his right elbow April 1 is back playing again, going 2 for 6 in the infant stages of a minor-league rehab assignment, which has manager Chip Hale believing he'll return even before rosters expand Sept. 1.
"It's miraculous and it's unbelievable what the doctors have done," Hale recently told MLB.com. "If you look at the bone now and the bone growth that's happened since surgery, it's incredible what they've done."
Keep in mind this is no ordinary injury. It's actually a recurrence of one Pollock suffered way back in 2010, when he had a screw inserted that should have taken care of the problem. But somewhere along the line, the screw broke. This year's injury was just one result of that.
And what else? No one can say for sure because no one knows exactly when it happened, but it's fair to wonder if it's related to all the angst surrounding Pollock's elbow over the last few years -- the inexplicable soreness, the required periods of rest, etc.
"To hear him talk now in there, in the weight room, doing different weightlifting exercises, doing different swings, he's doing things now that he had just quit doing because he figured they were making his arm sore," Hale said. "He never knew it was his elbow."
Understand the context here: Hale is referring to exercises Pollock had to abandon even before re-breaking the elbow. In other words, this is the best he has felt in a long, long time.
And considering he felt good enough last year to break through as an MVP-caliber performer with genuine five-category production, that's saying something.
Nothing unsustainable about that batting average either, given how little he strikes out.
So how long before we can get this holy terror back in our lineups? Hale has said Pollock will need the equivalent of a big-league spring training first, but the maximum number of days a hitter can spend on a rehab assignment is 20. Obviously, that clock has already begun, and to hear Pollock tell it, it's all he needs.
"It's just a matter of getting the volume," he told FOX Sports Arizona. "You play every single day in baseball so there's a progression not only to get the right distance on the throws and the right amount of swings but to do it back-to-back days and then do it three days in a row."
But what about the threat of re-injury? That's the only reason he'd still be available in 25 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, as far as I can tell, and obviously no one can predict how a body part will hold up after surgery. But Pollock has said the time for X-rays and CT scans is behind him. It's honestly just about getting game-ready again.
"I'm going to play, and when I'm out there, it's going to be like I feel like I could have been out there a month earlier," he said.
Here's where he ranks among the other top DL stashes:
1. Zack Greinke, SP, Diamondbacks (strained oblique)
2. Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers (herniated disc)
3. Yoenis Cespedes, OF, Mets (strained quadriceps)
4. Aledmys Diaz, SS, Cardinals (broken thumb)
5. Rich Hill, SP, Dodgers (blister on finger)
6. Julio Teheran, SP, Braves (strained lat)
7. Danny Salazar, SP, Indians (sore elbow)
8. A.J. Pollock, OF, Diamondbacks (fractured elbow)
9. Wade Davis, RP, Royals (strained elbow)
10. Michael Brantley, OF, Indians (scar tissue in shoulder)
11. Lance McCullers, SP, Astros (sprained elbow)
12. Junior Guerra, SP/RP, Brewers (sore elbow)
13. Joe Ross, SP, Nationals (shoulder inflammation)
14. Jordan Zimmermann, SP, Tigers (strained lat)
15. Sonny Gray, SP, Athletics (strained forearm)
16. Tyler Glasnow, SP, Pirates (shoulder discomfort)
17. Arodys Vizcaino, RP, Braves (strained oblique)
18. Nick Castellanos, 3B, Tigers (broken hand)
19. Huston Street, RP, Angels (knee inflammation)
20. Alex Cobb, SP, Rays (Tommy John surgery)
21. Zack Wheeler, SP, Mets (Tommy John surgery)
22. Tyson Ross, SP, Padres (shoulder inflammation)
23. Aaron Nola, SP, Phillies (strained elbow)
24. Jose Reyes, 3B/SS, Mets (intercostal strain)
25. Matt Duffy, 3B, Rays (strained Achilles)
- Greinke is an easy choice for the top spot since he's in line to return Tuesday, but let's say he's not even an option for this list. Suddenly, Kershaw is in the top spot even though he doesn't have a clear timetable for his return and still could wind up missing the rest of the season. That's the extent of his dominance, though. If he has hope of making even one more start, you have to keep him around, and he has hope of returning for all of September after throwing a baseball over the weekend.
- Among the high-end performers facing uncertain (but probably not long-term) recoveries, I'm prioritizing the hitters (Cespedes and Diaz) over the pitchers (Hill, Teheran and Salazar). I just think they're less likely to suffer a setback that would put the rest of their season in doubt. Shoot, Hill has suffered a couple already. Salazar is the one whose return is looking the iffiest since his elbow injury clearly seemed to be impacting his performance. Otherwise, I might rank him the highest of the three.
- None of Davis, Brantley and McCullers have the clearest of timetables or the most promising of prognoses, but I slot them behind Pollock if only for their upside. If a possibility exists for these three to return -- and I wouldn't call it remote for any of them, maybe more like 50-50 -- then I'd hate to cut them loose and potentially have one of my competitors benefit. I understand the frustration with Brantley, who has been faking us out all year, and think it's amazing we're to the point where Pollock may actually beat him back, but his recent procedure to have scar tissue removed from his shoulder gives me some hope the problem is finally resolved.
- Even though he was just pulled off a rehab assignment because of renewed soreness in his shoulder, I'm keeping Joe Ross ahead of Zimmermann and Gray for now. He plans to throw again in a week, according to CSN Mid-Atlantic, so it's not like he's beginning at ground zero, unlike those other two. Plus, he's the one who I actually trust to perform well when he does return (which isn't to say health had nothing to do with Zimmermann's and Gray's struggles).
- Though the Tigers are hoping it's closer to four, Castellanos' fractured hand may need as long as eight weeks to recover. We're talking potentially a season-ending injury for him, then, which should tell you the kind of impact I'm expecting from those ranked in the same range. You might as well take a flier on Cobb or Wheeler when you're that far down the list. They're both at least making rehab starts now, though I'd be surprised to see either return before September.
- Nola is probably the last of these players I'd feel compelled to stash in a standard mixed league. I just don't see Reyes or Duffy making an impact in that format, even with the latter expected to move to shortstop. It's not a thin position anymore, after all. Even Nola is a stretch since the Phillies are talking like they may just shut him down. It's clear he wasn't right over the final two months he was active.
